Council Bluffs, Iowa: Squirrel Cage Jail
RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report
- Address:
- 226 Pearl St., Council Bluffs, IA
- Directions:
- From Hwy 192/S. 6th St. turn east onto 5th Ave. Drive one block. Turn left (north) onto Pearl St., then first left into parking lot. You'll see the red brick jail next to the north end of the parking lot.
- Hours:
- Summer M-Sa 11-4; off-season by appt. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 712-323-2509
- Admission:
- Adults $10, plus parking.
- RA Rates:
- Major Fun
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The largest revolving jail in the U.S., although it no longer revolves. Three stories high, built in 1885. Experience the horror of hi-tech Victorian criminal justice.
Roadsideamerica.com Report... [12/11/2016]Visitor Tips and News About Squirrel Cage Jail
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The city of Council Bluffs has an attraction called the Squirrel Cage Jail. It is an old jail which was built with its cells or cages atop a giant "Lazy Susan." The idea was that the jailer could keep an eye on his prisoners at all times, by having them in constant rotation. Also, it seems titillating to know that Council Bluffs also bills itself as "The Black Squirrel Capital", and one can frequently see the cute little critters roaming around in the green spaces of the city.
[Don Fraysier, 09/11/1998]Nearby Offbeat Places
Union Pacific Railroad Museum, Council Bluffs, IA - < 1 mi.
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It's the Largest Revolving Jail in the US -- even though it no longer revolves. Three stories high, built in 1885. There are only two others, in Crawfordsville, IN, and Gallatin, MO. The Crawfordsville jail still revolves. This unique penal facility design was abandoned due to various mishaps -- sometimes the jails rusted or jammed, allowing prisoners to escape down the central core.